


Caught in the Heat

by nerdsarehot75



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-06-25 20:36:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19753360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdsarehot75/pseuds/nerdsarehot75
Summary: You have your happily ever after, so why isn’t everything wonderful?





	1. Chapter 1

You were sitting on the steps outside the tower in the heat of summer. You could feel the concrete burning your skin and the sun beating down on you. You were jiggling your leg, not sure you could stop. You’d been there for hours, waiting for something to happen but nothing had. People had passed, a few had thought you were homeless, one man had spat at your feet. It made you wonder why you’d moved to the city. 

The door opened behind and you turned to look. A man towered over you, his blonde hair shining in the sun. You tried to shield your eyes with your hand but you still couldn’t see his face.

“Do you need help, ma’am?” he asked. 

“Oh, um, yes,” you said, scrambling to your feet, “I’m (Y/N).”

He held his hand out for you to shake.

“Steve Rogers, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said.

“Um, can I come inside?” you asked.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to ask what this is about first,” he said, blocking your way. With the size of him it wasn’t hard. 

“I was hoping to talk to Doctor Banner. I read this amazing paper he wrote and I have questions but I couldn’t find any way to contact him so I thought he might live here, because everyone knows the Avengers live here and he is the Hulk to it would be safe to assume he would live here too. It wouldn’t take long. It’s just, I’m working on this paper of my own and it’s kinda on the same topic and I’d just really love to pick his brains, you know, because he’s basically the best,” you said all in one breath. 

Steve looked overwhelmed.

“I promise it won’t take long. You don’t even have to invite me in. If you could just ask him if he’d talk to me then that would be enough,” you said.

“I’ll see what I can do,” he said, smiling at you kindly and retreating back through the doors. 

You took your seat on the steps again, not really sure what else to do. You’d wasted an entire day to do this and now you might not even get to meet the man. You’re leg began to jiggle again and you wrung your hands, your impatience growing. 

The door opened again and you shot up, turning to see who was there. You squeaked when you saw Doctor Banner standing there, in the flesh. He gave you a weary smile and a nod. 

“Oh my god, hi,” you said.

“Hello,” he said.

He reached out to shake your hand. Your’s trembled in his and you had to wonder what you were doing here for the umpteenth time. You didn’t belong here. This man had the brain of a genius and you were a stupid university student who had no business talking to him. You could feel your breaths getting shorter just thinking about it. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes flicking over your face.

“Give me a second,” you said.

You turned away from him and tried to get your breathing under control. You’re heart was beating fast and you weren’t sure you could get it to slow down. Your palms were sweating and you felt sick. You sat down again and rested your head against your knees.

Slowly your breathing evened out and the clamp around your heart loosened. You stood and faced Doctor Banner again, trying not to blush at your freak out. He smiled benignly at you and gestured towards the doors.

“I think we should do this inside. You look like you could do with some water,” he said.

“Thank you.”

You walked past him on shaky legs into the lobby of the building. It was fancy, fancier than any place you’d ever been. He led you over to the elevator. You didn’t know what to say, you’d never been very good at small talk. The silence felt suffocating.

You both got into the elevator and he pushed the button to whichever floor he wanted to take you to. You looked at how many there were, how many floors there must be in this building. The last time you’d been in anything close to this high was the Empire State Building and that had been a fiasco from start to finish. It’s hard to apologise when your friends throws up in public, even harder when it’s on a stranger. 

The doors opened and you stepped out onto the floor. There was a couch by one wall, a huge flat screen TV in front of it showing some sports game. You could see the back of a couple of heads, intently watching the game. You gulped at the thought of who they might be. 

Doctor Banner led you into the kitchen off to the side of what you assumed was a living room. You couldn’t really be sure. He pointed to one of the stools by the counter and you sat. He reached into the fridge and passed you a water bottle. You look a long drink from it, the coolness a relief after being outside all day. 

‘Steve said you wanted to ask me some questions for something you were writing,” he said.

“Oh, yes. See I’m writing this paper for one of my classes and I read one of your papers while doing research and it got me thinking and I’d like to get your opinions on some ideas I had because, well, you’re kind of an expert and my professors will validate what I write if it’s not just my thoughts. I don’t think he likes me very much. He’s always condescending and really passive aggressive. Maybe it’s a sexist thing but either way, consulting with you would really help,” you rambled, not sure where you were going with your explanation.

“Doctor Banner,” a voice boomed behind you. 

You jumped, almost falling off the stool. You righted yourself and looked into the face of Thor. You tried to play it cool.

“Have you seen my brother?” Thor asked Doctor Banner.

“Loki is here?” you asked, your voice more a squeak. Thor turned to look at you and smiled. You tried to smile back but felt your face was closer to a grimace. 

“Indeed I am,” someone said behind you. 

You turned. Standing behind you was the most beautiful man you’d ever seen. His pale skin was so at contrast with his black hair, and his blue eyes felt as if they could pierce through your skin. You tried to scramble back, knowing the evil this man had done, his face familiar from the TV. You didn’t think about the way your skin tingled under his gaze. 

“No need to scared, mortal. They have me on a leash,” he sneered, glaring at his brother.

“I did not know we had a guest. I am Thor,” Thor said, grabbing your attention from the man in front of you.

“(Y/N),” said, your voice weak.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady (Y/N),” Thor said.

“Perhaps it would be best if we talked in my lab,” Doctor Banner said. 

You slid off the stool and he placed a hand on your lower back to lead you out of the room. You glanced back over your shoulder to find Loki staring at you. He smirked and you tried to ignore the way your heart skipped a beat. 

“Leave her be, Brother,” you heard Thor say to him. 

He winked and turned away from you. You weren’t sure what else to do so you followed Doctor Banner back into the elevator. Your breath felt short again and your heart was thumping in your ears. You couldn’t tell if you were scared or something else. You weren’t sure you wanted to find out.


	2. Chapter 2

The elevator doors opened on the largest science lab you’d ever laid eyes on. It was filled with the kind of equipment you could only dream of. Your eyes darted from counter to counter, trying to take in every detail, sure you’d never have the chance to see any of it again. You heard Doctor Banner chuckle from beside you. You looked up at him, grinning. 

“Tony makes sure we have the best of the best here,” he said.

“You’re so lucky,” you said before you could think. 

He chuckled again and walked further into the room. You followed behind him, still trying to memorise everything you could see. Your eyes roamed over the equations, the notes, the parts of machines and equipment scattered around. 

“What is this paper of yours on?” he asked, settling at one of the benches. 

“Um, biochemistry,” you said, “your papers are brilliant. I’ve read almost every single one of them. Once I started I couldn’t stop but I have a few questions about things and my other research hasn’t answered them so I figured talking the source would help because even if you don’t have the answer you’d be able to theorise which would probably be more useful than my own theories because you’re, like, an expert and I’m still learning and there’s things I definitely don’t know yet but you should know way more, not that you’re old or anything but you’ve done more and I’m just going to shut up now.”

He smiled at you again and you flushed. You stared down at your twisting hands. 

“How about you take a seat?” he suggested.

You nodded and hoisted yourself onto one of the stools. You looked down at the surface of the bench, expecting to see metal or plastic. Instead you found paper covered in equations. You read over them, feeling as if you’d seen them somewhere before. You shook your head and looked up at Doctor Banner again.

“How about you ask me your first question?” he suggested.

You nodded and pulled your notebook out of your bag. You flipped through to the question page you’d begun during your research. You traced your finger down the page to the first one that was relevant to the topic. 

You asked him your first question. His forehead creased as he thought over it. You waited patiently, not wanting to interrupt his thoughts. 

The elevator doors opened and you started, falling off your seat. You pushed yourself off the ground, shoving your hair out of the way so you could see. Doctor Banner was looking at something over his shoulder. You clambered to your feet with a huff.

“Why was I the last to know we have a guest in the Tower?” Tony Stark asked, swaggering towards your bench. You squeaked. He winked at you.

“If you hadn’t locked yourself in your workshop we might have been able to tell you,” Doctor Banner said with a sigh. 

“Show her some hospitality, Banner. Has he offered you a drink?” he asked you. You held up the bottle of water still clutched in your hand. 

“Tony, we’re trying to work here,” Doctor Banner said. 

“Surely you could use my help,” he said, flashing a smile at you. You blushed and turned your eyes back to Doctor Banner.

“Nothing will get done with you here flirting,” Doctor Banner said.

“I resent that. Plenty can be done with my flirting,” Tony said.

Doctor Banner motioned to you to follow him. You clambered off the stop and followed him away from Tony. You looked up at him expectantly. 

“You had a list of questions?” he asked. You nodded, “How about you leave them with me and an email address or a phone number. We’re going to be continually interrupted here,” he said with a sigh.

“Sure,” you said, your stomach dropping. This had been a stupid idea. He didn’t have time to be dealing with your inane questions and now was trying to get rid of you in the most polite way possible. He probably had something super important to do with Tony Stark that you would have no idea about like saving the world or something.

You walked back to the bench and ripped out the page with all your questions on it from your notebook. You scribbled your email address on it and handed it to Bruce. 

“Leaving already?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Come on, I’ll take you back down,” Doctor Banner said and led you over to the elevator.

The ride down to the bottom of the tower was award, or at least, that’s how you saw it. You were both silent and you were trying no to let your anxiety get out of control. You were staring up at the light, admiring the fact it was the first elevator you had ever been in where the globe wasn’t broken or dying. 

“I’m sorry about Tony. He can be a little…” he trailed off, unsure how to finish to the sentence.

“Brilliant?” you suggested.

“According to some people.” He smiled, “if you would like, once I’ve come up with some answers we could meet somewhere and talk it all over. Perhaps somewhere less crowded,” he suggested.

“That’d be great,” you said, your enthusiasm building again. 

The elevator doors slid open. You stepped out into the lobby and turned to smile at Doctor Banner. He was smiling at you in return.

“Thank you so much for this Doctor Banner,” you said.

“I think you can call me Bruce,” he said.

Your smile grew a tiny bit.

“Thank you, Bruce,” you said.

“Always happy to help,” he said.

He pressed a button to take him back up and the doors slid closed. You smiled and turned to the exit, ready to go back to your tiny dorm room and your asshole roommate. You pushed open the doors and stepped out into the heat of the sun. You wrinkled your nose at it.

“Problem, mortal?” 

You jumped, turning to find Loki leaning against the wall beside the door. Your heart thumped in your chest, bruising your ribs. He shrugged off the wall and took a step towards you. You wanted to step away, keep distance between the two of you but you couldn’t get so much as a toe to move. 

He reached out a hand, a finger stroking down your cheek. You shivered, his skin so cold against yours. You took a shuddering breath and stumbled back, out of his reach. He smirked at you. Your stomach tightened and you tried not to throw up. He smirked at you

“Don’t worry, mortal, I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, “not yet, at least.”

You spun around and ran down the stairs. You fled, leaving behind the demigod and all the superheroes in their building. You couldn’t figure out what you were feeling but you knew it wasn’t good. Your heart was going a million miles an hour and you skin felt like there was an electric current running over it. You could hear Loki’s chuckles ringing in your ears as you ran. This day had been too much for you. You needed some time to process everything.


	3. Chapter 3

You were walking across campus, readying yourself to study in the library after a morning filled with classes. It had been a few days since you’d visited Stark Tower and you were honestly trying to put the whole thing out of your mind. Despite the kindness of Bruce, your encounters with Loki had left you unsettled. You didn’t want to think about what it could mean, the way he had made you feel. If you didn’t put a name to the emotion then it didn’t exist.

You passed by a group of people, shooting a quick glance at them. They were from one of your classes, a study group you had refused to join. Since then they’d been very standoffish, as if everything you’d done was to spite them or to exclude them. If you were being honest it’s because it took too much out of you to be social with a group of strangers with very little pay off for your grades when you were doing so well on your own. It was hard to care.

“(Y/N)”, someone called. 

You looked around, trying to find the person but no one near you was looking your way. You shook it off and continued walking, assuming you’d been hearing things. 

“(Y/N),” someone shouted again. 

You stopped. The people behind you almost ran into you. You ignored them as they muttered something at you, continuing on their way. You looked behind you, hoping you weren’t hearing voices because you really couldn’t afford to see a shrink.

A familiar face materialised out of the crowd. You smiled and walked over. Bruce was standing amongst the sea of students, people streaming around his inert body. He was smiling at you, his eyes cranking in the corners. You reached him, ignoring the glares from people as you swam against the current. 

“Hi,” you said, unsure what else to say.

“I’ve been meaning to email you,” he said, walking again, back the way you’d already came.

“You have? That’s great. Or it might not be. It depends on what you were gonna say I guess. But I hope it’s good. Is it good? You should just tell me. Unless it’s bad, I’m not sure I want to hear it if it’s bad,” you rambled. He gave you an almost affectionate smile and shook his head.

“I have answers to your questions,” he said. 

“That is good,” you said, smiling absently. 

“Seeing as we are both here, how about a coffee?” he asked, motioning towards one of the nearby on campus cafes. 

“Can you drink coffee? I mean with your…” you trailed off, unsure how to phrase it.

“My little problem? I didn’t mean necessarily coffee. It’s just an expression,” he said. 

“Oh, right of course, places sell more than just coffee. Yeah, I know that. Obviously, I have been to a cafe before. Obviously,” you said, not all that convincing, despite telling the truth. It was only that you never got anything other than coffee. You basically lived off the stuff, which might explain a fair few things about you.

You followed him across across the quad and over to a small coffee place tucked away from the usual hustle and bustle of college life. He held the door open for you and you ducked inside, pink tingeing your cheeks. You followed him to an empty table and put your bag down with a thud. The chair scraped against the floor in a screech and you tried not to wince but it drew the attention of the few other patrons. Bruce gave you a gentle smile. 

“Your questions were quite complex,” he said.

“Oh, sorry,” you said, not sure what else to say to that.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s nice to see the next generation of scientists continuing to ask the hard questions. It just means anything I say is only theoretical, nothing has been confirmed as of yet,” he said.

“No, I knew that when I asked them,” you said, “I was really only looking for an opinion from a credible source. I can reference you in my writing.”

“I was thinking while I was reading over your questions,” he began. 

“Probably for the best considering the content of the questions,” you said without thinking about it, then blushing. He chuckled.

“I don’t know how much experience you have working in a lab. Obviously you have the practical component of your course but from what I remember it’s not very in tune with real world application,” he said.

“It’s fine. I mean, I spend a lot of the time bored which means I’m not paying attention and cause accidents. The other day I set the bench on fire. Which would have been fine but then the smoke alarm went off and the sprinklers turned on and the whole building was evacuated. I’m not sure I should be allowed in a real lab,” you said. 

“But then how will you begin your own research?” he asked, the corner of his mouth quirking up.

You blushed again. No one truly believed you’d go into research, not even you, despite it being what you wanted. You didn’t have the constitution for it. Your teachers were actively steering you away from it, telling you not to do something that would cause others harm, which you likely would in a lab conducting your own experiments.

“I can give you the answers to your questions and leave and we never have to see each other again,” he said.

You felt your shoulders droop. It didn’t matter that you didn’t know this man very well, or that he was never meant to be more than a source to answer your questions. You had enjoyed spending the time with him and you had hoped you hadn’t made too much of an idiot of yourself. 

“Or I could offer you a chance to help out in my lab,” he said.

Your head shot up to look at him. You could feel your mouth hanging open but it you couldn’t muster the ability to close it. He glanced up from under his eyelashes, his eyes sparkling. You snapped your jaw shut. He was smiling at you but you weren’t sure you had the breath to get words out. He couldn’t have knocked the breath out of you more effectively if he’d hit you. 

“Would you like that?” he asked worry beginning to creep into his eyes.

“Oh my god, yes, yes, a thousand times yes. That’s literally a dream come true, like, legitimately. Like, you’re my hero and now I get to help you and I get to work in an actual lab and do actual science and learn from experimental shit and do the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do,” you said in one quick breath. 

“That’s wonderful,” he said, his gentle voice stopping your incessant rambling.

“Thank you so much, Doctor Banner,” you said, ducking your head, trying to hide the blush creeping up your cheeks.

“Bruce,” he corrected you.

“Bruce,” you agreed.

“When do your classes finish today?” he asked.

“Four,” you replied.

“Head over to the Tower then. I’ll tell Tony to expect you,” he said.

“Thank you, Bruce. I can’t tell you how much this means to me,” you said.

He got up from the table and smiled at you. You smiled in return, unable to resist. He gently patted you on the shoulder.

“I understand,” he said and walked away.

You watched him go, the butterflies in your stomach going crazy. You were incalculably happy, your wildest dreams coming true in the most unexpected way. But in the back of your mind lurked a dark shadow whose shape you knew but refused to name. That would be a problem you could deal with if you came to it.


	4. Chapter 4

Your classes had passed so slowly you thought that time had stopped. You’d been distracted all through your afternoon classes, taking mostly incomprehensible notes. You’d rushed out of there the moment classes had ended, hoofing it up to the Tower. 

You’d arrived, looking up at the building towering above you. Your heart had thudded, skipping a beat. You opened your mouth, then walked on, looking down at your feet. You took a deep breath and wheeled around, turning back to the building. You looked through the glass doors.

Tony Stark was standing in the entrance, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyebrows raised. You felt your cheeks flush, looking up at him as you climbed the steps. He opened the door for you, and you shuffled past him. 

“You doing okay there, short stack?” he asked.

“Fine,” you managed to squeak out. 

He led you towards the desk at the front, giving you a swipe card. You looked down at it, worrying your bottom lip between your teeth. You looked back up at him.

“That’s it?” you asked.

“That’s it,” he said.

“No security check?” you asked.

“Any friend of Bruce’s is a friend of ours,” he replied, “plus I did the security check the first time you walked into the building.”

He was smiling at you. You flushed again. He tapped your card and you looked at it again.

“That’ll get you anywhere in the building,” he said, “except private rooms, the roof, and the pool.”

“There’s a pool?” you asked, looking up again. 

“Absolutely. And I’m just kidding. You can go up to the pool anytime,” he said, “Bruce is waiting in the lab. Floor 14.”

You blinked at him. The thought of getting to work immediately made you want to turn tail and run. You’d been ignoring the fact you’d actually have to be working alongside one of the best minds in biochemistry. It made you terrified. You were just a kid who knew nothing. You shouldn’t be there. You were a fake.

“I’ll take you up there,” he said, putting his arm around your shoulders. 

He led you into the elevator. You were sure you must look like a deer in the headlights but the Ironman had his arm around you. He pressed the button for floor 14, leaving his arm around your shoulder. You were tapping your forefinger against your thumb, trying to remove that anxious energy out of your body before you saw Bruce again. 

The lift doors opened on the lab and Tony pushed you out. You stumbled over your own feet, doing your best to stay upright. Tony chuckled, walking past you. 

“Hey, Bruce, I found you something interesting,” Tony called.

“If it’s your particle accelerators Pepper already brought them up,” you heard Bruce’s voice distantly call back.

“Something better,” he called, motioning for you to follow him. You trailed behind.

“Better than particle accelerators?” he asked, his voice coming closer as you passed by all kinds of amazing technology. 

“Prettier too,” Tony said, giving you a wink. You flushed again.

“Tony, what are you-“ Bruce asked, rounding a corner towards you, “(Y/N).”

“Hi,” you said, waving.

“Come look at these cells,” he said, gesturing to the microscope he’d been looking into.

You stepped past Tony, putting your eye to the lens, looking down at the cells on the slide. You heard the two men move away, talking to each other about the particle accelerators that had arrived that day. You watched the cells, trying to figure out what they were from, what they were doing. You weren’t sure you’d ever seen anything like them before. 

You felt a presence behind you. You couldn’t hear the voices of the two men, assuming they were done, that Tony had left. Your brain was going a million miles an hour, trying to find anything that would tell you what the cells were. 

“What are these from?” you asked.

“Me,” said a voice that was distinctly not Bruce.

You started, knocking the microscope over from your haste to look behind you. Loki was standing there, a smirk on his face, his arms hanging by his sides. You stumbled back a step, bumping the table the microscope was sitting on. You made a grab for it, righting it before it could fall causing untold damage. Loki chuckled and your cheeks flushed. Where was Bruce?

“Or rather, I should say it’s Asgardian skin,” he said, “taken from my brother.”

“Thor?” you said, turning to look back at the microscope. There was a skin sample from a literal god. 

“Unless I have another brother my father has kept hidden from me,” he said, a note of petulance entering his voice, “which isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.”

His face darkened and you were once again aware of being alone with a man who had killed hundreds of people. You pressed your back against the table, the edge digging into your skin uncomfortably. His eyes dragged over your body, watching your fingers clench on the metal, your muscles stiffening under his gaze. Your heart has beating hard enough against your rib cage to leave bruises. 

“What do you think, love? Do I have a secret brother?” he asked, taking a step towards you.

Your feet scrambled on the ground, trying to find purchase in case you had to fling yourself over the table to get away from him. He chuckled low in his throat and you felt your skin prickle. This was not what you had signed up for.

“Oi, reindeer games, leave the kid alone.”

You glanced over your shoulder, finding Tony and Bruce standing there. Neither looked very impressed. You looked back at Loki, almost expecting him to be holding a knife. All he did was shrug, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He sauntered past you, giving you a wink as he went. Your heart skipped a beat.

He disappeared, Tony following after him after clapping Bruce on the shoulder. He turned to you, shrugging his shoulders as if to say ‘what can I do’ and you gave him a small smile.

“Is this really a skin sample from Thor? Because if it is you could do some revolutionary work on it. I mean, no one knows what makes up a god and you have two running around this Tower. You could be nominated for a Nobel Prize, or change the world, or maybe even do science no one has even dreamed of yet. I’ve never seen anything like this,” you rambled, looking through the eye piece again.

“It is,” he said laughing, “but come on, that’s not what I meant to show you.”

You ducked out from behind the microscope again, this time managing not to knock it over. He held out his hand, leading you further into the room you’d only gotten a glance at last time. It had seemed to be filled with more than you could ever imagine. You didn’t even know what half of it even did. It was more than you could have dreamed of.

He set you up with some data analysis, designing an experiment while he listened to your opinion on the data he’d collected. It was nice to be taken seriously for once. Even if you thought there was a lingering shadow in the back of your mind with ice blue eyes and the smell of rain clinging to it.


	5. Chapter 5

It surprised you how easily you grew used to spending time in the lab with Bruce. You rarely saw any other of the fabled Avengers, spending most of your time going over data Bruce had collected while you were in class. Weekends were the best, when you were able to spend all day in the Tower, playing with all the fun toys Tony had provided for the lab.

The only downside was a bored demigod hanging around. You’d become used to finding Loki draped over a chair, book in hand, supposedly there by coincidence. Bruce had chosen to ignore the dark aura in the corner of the room. You’d tried your best to ignore ice blue eyes watching you from over the top of ruffling pages. 

It was hard, especially when he snuck up behind you and blew on the back of your neck. Each time you’d jump, dropping whatever it was you were holding, often a pen, on the worst day a piece of tech that you’d been told cost over a million dollars. You’d offered to quit. Bruce had told you that if Tony had left for every single time he’d broken a multi-million toy he wouldn’t be allowed on the same continent as the Tower. You’d laughed and agreed to learn how to fix it.

That had been worth more than all your years in formal education ever had been.

“Love, when are you going to admit that this is not the place for you?” Loki asked about halfway through your cup of coffee. It was a record. He’d never left you alone for so long.

“Where is the place for me?” you snapped.

You’d stayed up all night finishing an assignment. You were incredibly tired, the smallest thing would make you snap. You did not have time to deal with a bored demigod. It was getting close to finals week and you were being piled on with work.

“My bed,” he said, his voice drawling.

“No thanks,” you said, none of his words really penetrating your head. You had so many numbers in your head it was hard to think straight. 

A cold hand touched the back of your neck, making you jump. You turned, upending your coffee over your notes. You clenched your jaw, looking down at the waste of the last few hours. Loki was grinning at you, his hand still resting on your neck. You pushing it from your body, your hands landing on his chest to push him back a few steps.

He caught your wrists, stilling your movements. You became aware of how dangerous of a man had you in his grip. You tried to pull yourself free.

“Oh no, pet, I like this fire,” he said, leaning towards you, “try again.”

“No,” you said, struggling against his hold. 

“For me?” he whispered, his breath ghosting over your face. 

You lost any thoughts in your head as the smell of rain washed over you. You quit struggling, everything going a little fuzzy. 

“(Y/N)! Breath,” Bruce called as he rounded the corner.

You inhaled sharply. Everything came back into focus and you pushed Loki away from you. You grumbled, turning back to your notes. You’d spent hours working in the lab when you could have been at home, finishing assignments, all because you didn’t know how to say no to Bruce when he was so kind letting you get some actual hands on experience and ask stupid questions. 

“Why are you always here?” you demanded, turning back to the stupid man behind you.

“If you expect me to spend time with that useless flock of lost flamingos and listen to their inane drivel then you are not as smart as your pretty little head suggests,” he replied.

“No, but I don’t expect you to spend your time here either,” you said.

“And why wouldn’t I when you’re so much fun?” he asked.

You growled, grabbing the paper and slamming them into his chest. You looked up at him, ignoring his quirked eyebrow. 

“Since this is your fault, you can make it better,” you said.

You left him there, disappearing around the corner to find the laptop you’d left by the coffee machine. While he was fixing your work you could get through the assignment due the next day that was only half written. You needed to get it done, hopefully without another sleepless night. You weren’t sure you’d be writing in coherent English if you did.

“Finished.”

The pile of paper landed in your lap. You had barely had time to open your laptop before Loki had finished something that would have taken you hours. You looked up at him, your mouth hanging open.

“Demigod,” he said as if answering your unasked question, “what are you doing?”

“None of your business,” you said.

He rested his chin on your shoulder, looking at your work. You shivered, wondering if you would be able to push him off you, but considering how well it went last time you thought probably not. His breath was so cold against your ear. You felt frozen. You wanted him to leave you alone.

“Looks boring,” he said.

“Yes, but it has to be done,” you said.

“Why?” he asked.

“A little thing called GPA,” you snapped, “so why don’t you kindly fuck off and leave me to it.”

“I’d do what she says,” Bruce said, “last time she hadn’t slept enough she threw an old fax machine at Tony.”

“I fixed it when I was done,” you said.

“You didn’t have to,” he said, “he disassembled it and used the parts for one of his projects.”

You growled again. You were looking for some peace and quiet without being reminded of your past failures. Between your work and Loki you had enough trouble getting your thoughts in enough order to be able to string together a coherent sentence. 

“Can you just go?” you asked Loki.

“No,” he replied. 

You sighed, slamming your laptop closed. You never were able to work with him there. It’s how you’d managed to set your own arm on fire that one time which led to you sticking your arm in the fish tank leading to you getting a bad nip off a lobster. That had been a bad day. 

“Can I go home, Bruce?” you asked.

“You don’t have to ask permission, (Y/N). You’re not a child and I’m not paying you to be here,” he said.

“Great, I’m going home,” you said.

You got up, pushing past Loki who was pouting at you. You grabbed your bag and made for the elevator. He slid in just as the doors were closing, leaving you too close to him. You pressed back against the far wall, trying to keep as far from him as possible.

“You’re not coming with me,” you said.

“Why not?” he asked.

You didn’t bother to deign with a reply. He got out on the public kitchen level, which seemed unnecessary to you, but you weren’t going to argue with Tony on it. You were just thankful he wasn’t following you home. You needed time to clear your head and you hadn’t been able to do that since working in the lab, not with the demigod lurking at your shoulder. You needed some Loki free time.


	6. Chapter 6

“What are you doing here?” 

Loki looked up, the odd blue light glowing on his pale skin. He was tapping on one of the weird inventions that Tony had dropped off that afternoon, watching as it did nothing for him. You wondered if you should leave.

It was the middle of the night. Your study notes were spread around you, your eyes itchy with tiredness. You’d been studying from the moment Bruce had left, you’re exams finally upon you. All you wanted to do was do well on your exams.

“Studying,” you replied.

He sauntered over to you, his hands deep in his pockets. He slid onto the stool beside you, pulling your notebook towards him. You would have complained or tried to tug them back but you didn’t have the energy to deal with him. His eyes skated over the page and for a moment you wondered how much he understood. 

“Why?” he asked, looking at you from under his lashes.

Your breath caught in your throat. You could only explain it being due to your sleep deprivation but the way he was looking at you made your heart skip a beat.

“Exams,” you replied.

He pushed the notebook back towards you with a sneer on his face. You looked at the handwritten notes, not sure what could have offended him so much about the words. 

“Exams are for puny humans without brains enough to apply information in real life situations,” he scoffed.

“Yes, well, unfortunately, to get the degree I have to do the exams, even if they’re the biggest waste of time I’ve ever encountered,” you snapped.

He chuckled, turning one of your textbooks to look at the diagram in bright colours of the glossy pages. You’d had to beg your parents for help buying you textbooks and you were honestly wondering if it was worth it. You were only working hard to be able to get into the doctorate program to begin your own research. But sometimes it was hard to care. 

“Shall I help you?” he asked, his eyes twinkling from the glow of the tech around you.

“How could you possibly help?” you asked in return.

You rubbed at your temple, a headache that had been threatening you finally beginning to make its presence known. Cold fingers replaced yours, applying pressure. You let out a long sigh, leaning back into the touch as you felt the headache recede. 

“I can be very helpful,” he whispered in your ear. 

You jerked away from him, your heart in your throat. The thing those hands had done, the pain they’d caused. You shouldn’t be enjoying anything from them. 

A cup of steaming hot coffee was presented to you and you took it without thinking. You wanted him out of there, leaving you be. Perhaps he sensed it, perhaps he was just trying to lull you into a false sense of security, but he didn’t reappear until the next night.

“Back again?”

You knocked your notes to the floor as you jerked around. Loki was leaning against the bench, his arms crossed over his chest. You’d only gotten a few hours of sleep during the early hours of the morning and now you were unsure of the reality of the events surrounding you. Until he’d shown up you were getting ready to head to bed on the sofa hidden in the back.

“Just like you,” you replied.

“You do not live in this building,” he replied.

“Do you ever sleep?” you asked, “you’re here all day and all night.”

“Do you?” he countered.

“Are you okay? Because I know I’m not,” you said, “I’m going to sleep now.”

“Do you want some company?” 

You ignored him, moving further into the room. If he followed you couldn’t stop him. You were too tired to care about him being in the same room while you were asleep. Sometimes you forgot how dangerous that demigod truly was.

It was unsurprising he was waiting for you the next night when you came back from the kitchen, cup of coffee clutched in your hands. He was lounging in your usual seat, perusing your work. He lazily flicked through the handwritten pages, his face inscrutable. 

“You have an interesting note taking style,” he said.

“It works for me,” you replied with a shrug, “get out of my seat.”

It was a testament to his unpredictable ways that he relinquished your seat to you. He hopped onto the bench beside you, his long fingers tracing over a diagram you’d copied at the beginning of semester. Some part of your brain wondered what it would be like to have those fingers trace over your skin with the same tenderness. 

You shook your head, trying to clear such thoughts from your mind. You pulled the paper back towards you, tracing over the well worn lines yourself. Some days it felt as if you’d done nothing but stare at your notes, trying to force them into your brain.

“Are you sure you do not wish to take a break?” he asked, his voice so low and velvety. 

You almost said yes until the memory of the exam hall you’d be sitting in tomorrow afternoon filled your head. It was your last one, the last exam of the semester. You had to do well.

“I’ll take a break when I’m done,” you replied.

It was odd, the way he stayed quiet and let you do your last minute cramming. All he did was keep you company until your eyes could no longer stay open and your brain was too fuzzy to comprehend anything. 

You’d slumped against the bench, your head buried in your arms when you’d felt yourself lifted. You’d panicked until you’d noticed the smell of winter clinging to the skin of the man holding you. You buried your nose in his neck, the scent of freshly fallen snow calming you.

You were placed down on a soft surface, a familiar blanket pulled over your body. You blinked your eyes open, watching as Loki smoothed some hair from your face, the first rays of the morning sun beginning to show through the far window. 

He lent down, pressing a kiss to your forehead, and you closed your eyes again, turning your head away. You had no idea what he was doing or why, his mind as impenetrable as always. You buried under the blanket, wanting to burn away the familiar icy smell clinging to you. You listened for his footsteps fading away. 

You were royally fucked.


	7. Chapter 7

It became odd how quickly you fell into routine with Loki. Now your finals were done you had plenty of time to spend in the lab, rarely going home. You’d grown used to sleeping on the sofa in the back of the lab, grown used to working late into the night, waking with sun. 

Loki would saunter in every morning, cup of coffee in hand, and smirk firmly in place. He’d hand the coffee over and ask how the research was going. You knew he didn’t care, but it was sweet that he pretended.

Bruce had once asked why you let Loki hang around so much. All you’d been able to do was shrug, not able to tell him. You didn’t know how to tell him that ever since he’d put you to bed you hadn’t been able to breath properly around him. Not that you’d been great at it before. 

“You’ll never guess what I saw that Russian spy and the bird man getting up to last night,” he sad, handing you the usual morning coffee.

“If you say you caught them making out I’m calling bullshit,” you replied before taking a long sip of the coffee. You let out a content sigh, picking up your pen to write down one of those first thing in the morning thoughts that plagued you sometimes. 

“Nothing so tedious,” he said, “it involved green paint.”

You rolled your eyes. A green hand landed on your paper and you looked up into Bruce’s weary eyes. He took his hand away, leaving a green handprint. You humphed, your words now covered. 

“You did nothing to stop them?” you asked, looking at Loki.

“You knew about this?” Bruce asked.

He shrugged, leaning against the bench beside you. You rolled your eyes at him, flipping to the next page to rewrite your thought. He nudged your shoulder and you looked up at him, unable to stop yourself from smiling with him. 

“Hey.”

Tony strode into the room, also covered in green paint. You couldn’t help the laughter bubble up into you, spilling over your lips. You looked up into the twinkling eyes of Loki before burying your face in your hands. You couldn’t stop laughing if you kept looking at him.

“Okay, this? I don’t like this,” Tony said.

You appeared from out behind your hands, doing your best to not look at Loki. Tony was looking between you and the demigod. You were trying not to laugh again, or, even worse, blush under his gaze. If Tony knew the thoughts that drifted through your head as you fell asleep you’d never live it down. 

A cool arm slid around your shoulders, pulling you up and against a firm body. You looked up into the green eyes of Loki but he was looking at Tony. You tried to fight a losing battle against the flush rising in your cheeks, both from the physical contact and the odd show of possessiveness.

“You brought me a pretty pet,” he said, his voice as soft as silk, “don’t be mad that I’m playing with it.”

“I take offence to being called ‘it’,” you said.

“That’s all you’re offended by?” Bruce asked.

You shrugged. At least he’d called you pretty and he had definitely called you worse than a pet. He turned you, slinging both of his arms around your waist. He rested his chin on your shoulder as he looked up at Tony. You threaded your fingers through his, leaning against his firm body. 

“Stop it,” Tony said, “you’re getting smarmy bastard all over her.”

“Or what?” Loki asked.

“You could get rid of those little chocolate covered coffee beans he likes so much,” you suggested.

“You’re the one who’s been eating all my coffee beans?” Tony shouted.

“Why would you do this?” he asked you.

“You stole my really nice pen,” you said with a shrug, “and broke it in front of me.”

“It looked at me funny,” he said.

You laughed with him, turning your head to look at him. He was grinning at you in that way that made your heart skip a beat. You tried not to lose yourself in his eyes, knowing there were other people in the room.

“Stop it!” Tony shouted at the two of you.

“Don’t bother,” Bruce said, “it fuels this friendship between the two of them.”

Tony turned on his heels and walked out. Bruce shook his head and disappeared into the bowels of the lab. You disentangled yourself from Loki’s hold, sliding onto your empty stool. You wrote out your earlier idea again, hoping Bruce was cleaning the paint off himself somewhere. You didn’t need to follow the trail of footprints next time you had to find him. 

“I dislike him,” Loki said.

“Tony?” you asked, “yeah, everyone knows that.”

“I dislike him more today.”

You looked up at him again. His eyes were narrowed as he looked the way Tony had left. You rolled your eyes, nudging him. He looked down at you, a smirk growing on his face. You shook your head at him.

“He’s trying to take you away from me,” he said.

“Rightfully so,” you replied, “did you get me a replacement pen?”

He presented you a new pen. You took it from him and hopped off your stool, taking your paper with you. You walked off, looking for one of those post-its you’d left behind when you were working and had a useless thought. You knew you’d written one that you’d wanted to share with Loki in one of the rare moments he’d left you alone.

“I had a thought for you while you went looking for that sandwich place downtown,” you said, trying to find the lime green post-it.

“I do not believe it exists,” he said.

“So you keep telling me,” you replied, “and yet I’m going down there today.”

A hand clasped your wrist, turning you to look up at the demigod standing a little too close. His face was oddly serious. You quirked your eyebrow at him. His hand came up, his thumb running over your bottom lip. You took a sharp breath in, not sure what was happening.

“I dislike the thought of you going there alone,” he said.

“I can show you,” you said, “next time you’ll be able to bring me back one.”

“I dislike the thought of you here alone,” he said.

“I’m not alone. Bruce is here,” you replied.

“Yes, the green giant,” he said, his voice trailing off in thought.

His thumb continued to stroke over your bottom lip. You were watching him, the way his eyes were unfocused, looking off into the distance. 

“Loki?” you asked, drawing his attention back to you.

“Apologies,” he said, his eyes darting down to yours.

“What is going on with you today?” you asked.

He lent forward, his breath ghosting over your face. You shivered, doing your best not to flush under the intensity of his gaze. His lips grazed over yours, barely there. You whimpered and he pressed against you, his mouth devouring you. You moaned, opening up to him as he pressed on your lower back. You bent to his touch.

“Apologies,” he said again when he drew away, “that has been on my mind since the moment I saw you this morning.”

“I can’t argue with that,” you said and pulled him back in.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have your happily ever after, so why isn’t everything wonderful?

“Stop it.”

You glanced over your shoulder, looking at Tony watching you. Loki had his arm around your shoulder, watching you look through the microscope. He’d just brushed your hair away from your face, his lips pressing to the soft vulnerable skin under your jaw. You’d laughed and tried to push him away, batting at his chest when Tony had interrupted. 

“Sorry Mr Stark,” you said.

“Since when have you called me Mr Stark?” he asked.

“Since you began to think I give a shit about what you think,” you replied.

Loki chuckled in your ear and you shared a smile with him. Tony grumbled as he pushed you off the stool to look in the microscope. You crossed your arms over your chest, watching him look over your work. It made you feel naked in a way that you weren’t used to. 

“I like you less with him,” Tony said, looking at you.

“I like you less when you think you have a say in my life,” you replied but still pulled yourself out of Loki’s hold. 

Tony gave you one of those assessing looks that made you wonder what he saw before getting up and disappearing further into the lab, shouting for Bruce. You slid back into your seat, putting your eye back to the microscope.

“Can you get me a coffee?” you asked, “I’m gonna be stuck here awhile.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of your head, disappearing without another word. You let out a long sigh, focusing on the new skin sample from Thor. You didn’t want to think about how your skin felt when Tony had caught you two. You didn’t like how it had felt both too loose and too tight. 

There was something to be said for the disapproving looks you’d been getting in the halls. Loki had insisted on spending time with you outside the lab, unhappy to spend so much time in the company of Bruce. By now you’d become the talk of the Tower. Bruce had had more day visitors in the past few weeks than in the months you’d been working there, each one taking the time to stare at you. 

It was hard to feel confident in your decision when you could see everyone questioning it. 

You forgot in the quiet hours, when it was just you and Loki. His fingertips trailing over your skin, the soft whispers into your hair, the way he smiled every time you reached out to him. It made you forget he’d ever murdered anyone, that he had wrought so much destruction in the world. 

“Here you are, love.”

A cup of coffee was placed beside your hand. You ducked out from under the eyepiece so quickly you upended the mug over the table. You watched it drip on the floor, not even sure what you were meant to do at this point. 

“Shit.”

Loki laughed, waving his hand to remove the mess. You kept looking down at where the puddle had been forming. This was some kind of metaphor for how your life was going. 

“I’m going home for the holidays,” you said.

You turned to look at Loki. He was still smiling, as if you were doing something particularly entertaining. You rolled your eyes and went back to your eyepiece.

“My parents don’t know about you so you’re not invited,” you said.

“I did not wish to go,” he said.

“Well, I’m glad we’re on the same page,” you snapped.

You got up from your stool, the legs scraping against the lab floor with a high pitched whine. You strode away, looking for Bruce. You didn’t want to be alone with Loki right now. It felt like every move was wrong, like you were unable to make any decisions that were right. 

You could already feel it bubbling up in you, the desire to stay at home once you were there. You could give up working with Bruce and never step foot into the Tower again. Maybe it would be better that way, then you’d never have to confront Loki and get caught up in how he made you feel. 

“Bruce,” you called.

“Take a left at the fridge,” he called back.

You followed his voice, finding him standing in front of a huge board full of complex calculations. He was looking at it, his arms crossed over his chest, a marker in his hands. You stepped up beside him, your eyes roving over his hand writing. You couldn’t make head or tail of it. 

“I’m gonna head off early,” you said, “try and beat the traffic.”

“You drive?” he asked.

“When I have to,” you replied with a shrug.

You turned to leave, smacking into Loki’s chest. You ignored him, pushing past him. You stopped by your work to pick up your stuff. You gave it a lingering glance before turning your back and continuing on to the elevator. 

Loki slipped in before the doors could slam closed. You pressed back against the wall, looking down at your phone. You sent a text to your mother, telling her you’d be home some time soon but not to wait up for you if the traffic was bad. 

“How long will you be gone?” he asked.

“As long as I like,” you replied.

“And how long will that be?” he asked.

“I. Don’t. Know,” you snapped, “maybe forever.”

He quirked an eyebrow at you. You rolled your eyes.

“Look, maybe it would be better to cut our loses now and just admit this is never going to work,” you said, “we’re done.”

“You think a mere mortal get’s to decided-“

“Yes. I do.”

The elevator doors slid open. You stepped around him and walked out, not bothering to look back. You could feel the tears gathering in your eyes. You didn’t want him to see the pain it caused thinking about being without him. Or the fact you knew it was the right decision.

You pushed past the people on the street, thinking about how disgusted they would be if they knew what you’d been doing. You felt tainted by the touch that had traced over your skin. Only a bad person would let a hand that was covered in others’ blood touch them.

You didn’t want to be a bad person.

You were going to hide out at your parents either until school started up again or you could look in the mirror without hating yourself. You knew they wouldn’t ask too many questions, or would stop loving you. You needed time away from the city to forget the things you’d done. 

You didn’t want to be a bad person.

But you were scared you were.


	9. Chapter 9

You’d forgotten how nice it was to be at home, having someone else look after you. Nothing could compare to your father’s cooking and your bed was more comfortable than anything else in the world. Living in the city you sometimes forgot the comforts of home. You never had to worry about leaky showers or roaches. You weren’t woken up by stray car alarms or your neighbours having an argument. 

It helped that your parents weren’t nosey fuckers like your neighbours were. The amount of times Mr Williams from across the hall thought he was owed an explanation of where you’d been made you so mad you would have moved just to get away from him. Your parents left you to your own devices, for the most part. 

It’s not that they didn’t worry. From the abrupt silences when you entered a room or the shared glances you could tell they were concerned about your sudden reappearance. You didn’t know how to tell them you fell for a mass murderer. You didn’t know how to tell anyone.

You spent a lot of time in your childhood bedroom. It reminded you of your angsty teen years, moping around about a guy. The self-hatred was certainly familiar. You hated feeling like all the progress you’d made since graduating high school was slipping away.

“Honey, you have a visitor.”

You looked up from where your head was buried in your pillow. Your mother was standing in the doorway, the concern on her face making your heart clench. You pushed up from the bed, wondering who would be there to see you. Maybe one of your friends from high school had come to see you.

It was weird to see Tony sitting on your parents’ old sofa. He was looking around, a picture frame clutched in his hand. You paused in the doorway, not sure how to proceed. You hadn’t expected to see anyone from the Tower ever again.

“You were a cute kid,” he said.

“I still am,” you said, crossing your arms over your chest.

You stepped into the room, taking a hesitant seat in your dad’s old armchair. He looked at you and you shuffled uncomfortably. You’d never liked taking the spotlight in Tony’s gaze. It always made you feel as if you were being judged for something you were bad at.

“When are you coming back?” he asked.

“I’m not sure I am,” you replied, looking at your fingers twisting together in your lap. 

“Have you told Bruce?”

“I keep meaning to send him an email…” you trailed off, not wanting to admit this was the kind of scenario you were trying to avoid. 

You sat in silence, wanting him out of your house, wanting him to leave you alone so you could try and get your life back on track. You had one more semester left and then you could try and transfer to another college somewhere on the other side of the world and get your doctorate. 

“I think you should come back.”

You looked up at Tony, not sure if you’d heard right. There was no way Tony wanted you back, not after all the shit you’d put them through. 

“I don’t think I should.”

He gave you that half smile you’d seen in so many pictures. You didn’t like disagreeing with him, not when you knew he had so much more experience under his belt and more brains in his head than you could count. You didn’t feel qualified to disagree with him. 

“Bruce is lost without you,” he said, “and he’s not the only one.”

“If you’re talking about Loki then you can stop. I’m not coming back,” you snapped.

“Don’t pretend like this isn’t his fault,” he said, “I never took you for a coward.”

“Really? Because everyone, including me, did,” you said.

“He might piss me off, the little shit that he is, but he was more manageable when you were around,” he said.

“You hated me being with him,” you scoffed.

“I think you can do better but I also think you can do worse,” he said, “he makes you happy and given you lock yourself away in that lab that’s no small feat.”

“He’s a murderer,” you said.

“Not for many years, and he’s actually saved more lives than he’s taken,” he said, “much to everyone’s surprise.”

“That doesn’t make him a good person.’

You couldn’t meet his eye. You stared out the window, watching a storm gathering in the distance. You’d only been home a week. He couldn’t be that unmanageable yet. It wasn’t your problem if he was. He was his own person.

“Do you know how many people are dead because of me?”

You looked up at Tony, not sure what he was getting at. He was staring at you as if he could see the thoughts in your brain. You wanted to hide.

“But you never meant to kill them,” you muttered.

“Don’t be so sure.”

You sat in silence. You didn’t have an answer to that. You knew he wouldn’t kill innocent people, knew he cared more than that, but you also knew that some of his actions must have killed people. You’d seen the results of the fight in New York. They’d tried their best, and even though it had ultimately been Loki’s fault, you were sure they hadn’t been able to save everyone.

“I used to manufacture weapons,” he said, “I have blood on my hands.”

“I know.”

“So what’s the problem?” he asked.

“It’s different.”

“Is it?”

You didn’t have anything to say to that. You knew his past, knew what he’d done before he’d become Ironman. Everyone knew. It was common knowledge. 

“Do you miss him?” he asked.

“Yes,” you admitted.

“So what’s the problem?” he asked again.

“Everyone in that tower thinks it’s disgusting that I’m with him,” you said.

“Who told you that?”

“No one had to tell me. I can see the way they look at me.” You didn’t realise you’d stood up until you looked down at Tony, “they come and look at me like I’m in a fucking zoo.”

“They come to see the woman who tamed the snake,” he said, “we’ve known him a long time and we’ve never seen him so amiable.”

That shut you up. You’d never thought that maybe the looks weren’t a bad judgement. You had thought the worst and might have fucked up the best thing in your life. You felt sick.

“Come on.”

Tony grasped your arm and steered you past your parents. They watched with worry on their faces as he led you out the front door. He paused on the porch. You looked out, expecting to see some expensive car in the drive. Instead there was a man with his back to you and hands in your pockets.

“Loki,” you breathed.

You were pulling out of Tony’s grasp, flying down the steps. Loki turned in time to catch you as you flung yourself into his arms. You clutched at him, feeling the tears gathering in your eyes. If he was here it had to mean all hope was not lost. 

“Love,” he said, his arms wrapping tighter around you, pressing you into his body as if he wanted to absorb you.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, “I’m such an idiot.”

“Perhaps,” he said, “but I forgive you.”

“I’m so sorry,” you said.

He pushed you back, cupping your cheeks, wiping the tears away. You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to stop them. A cold pair of lips were pressed to your cheek. You opened your eyes, watching him draw away, a smile on his face.

“I missed you,” you said.

“I missed you too,” he admitted.

You reached up, pulling him down into a kiss. He wrapped his arms around your waist, lifting you off your feet. You laughed, pushing your fingers into his hair. He laughed with you, swinging you around.

“I’m coming back,” you said, “today. I’m coming home today.”

“Home,” he repeated with a smile.

“Yes, home.”


	10. Chapter 10

“Get out of it.”

You shooed Loki away from your notes. He smiled, wrapping his arm around your waist, putting his chin on your shoulder as he watched you read over the words you’d written earlier that day. You batted at him, laughing as he pinched at your side. 

He hoisted himself onto the bench beside you as you slid onto your stool. You patted his leg as he quietened down, letting you work. He kept running his fingers over your bare forearm, sending shivers down your spine, but letting you get on with it.

“Hey Bruce,” you called.

“Yeah?” you heard from somewhere in the distance.

“Do you have the data from your experiment yet?” 

“Not yet.”

“Can I go then?”

“You don’t need to ask permission.”

You smiled at Loki and hopped off your stool. You threaded your fingers through Loki’s, pulling him off the bench. You followed you, looking bemused as you pushed him into the lift. You selected the button for the level the communal kitchen was on. You needed some coffee.

He wrinkled his nose when he saw where you were. You rolled your eyes and dragged him into the room. Steve looked up but otherwise ignored you. You walked past with a wave, making your way to the coffee machine. 

“Hello brother,” Thor said, getting up from the sofa. 

“I wish to leave,” he said to you.

“You can wait for me to make more coffee or I can meet you in your room,” you said, “pick one.”

He grumbled but slouched off, leaving you to fend for yourself. You greeted Thor with a smile. He watched you move around the kitchen with practiced ease, making a mug of your glorious coffee. The lift doors opened. 

“No serpent man?” Clint asked when he saw you.

You snorted which was answer enough. He hopped up onto the kitchen bench and you handed him a mug of coffee, making yourself another one. He took a long drink, smacking his lips when he was done. 

“How goes the research?” he asked.

“Slowly,” you replied, taking your own drink. 

“Is the dark cloud distracting you?” he asked.

“Not if he wants me to continue to acknowledge his existence,” you said.

“More like not if he wants you in his bed,” Clint said laughing.

You blushed, making him laugh harder. 

“Go on,” he said, “go give him his reward.”

You flushed harder but stepped past him to get into the lift. You watched their laughing faces as the doors slid shut. Even Steve’s shoulders were shaking. 

You stepped out on Loki’s floor, most of your coffee gone during the ride up. Loki was lying on the couch, his shoes off, a book already in his hands. He looked up when he saw you enter. You pushed away the thoughts Clint had put in your head. 

You sat on the couch, readjusting his feet so they were in your lap. You lent back, closing your eyes, letting out a long sigh. The feet disappeared from your lap, a pair of arms wrapping around you. You were pulled back against a cool body. You opened your eyes to find Loki had discarded his book to the side. You put your mug on the floor, worried about spilling it. It wouldn’t be out of character for you to do it. 

He pulled you back so you were lying with him on the sofa. Your legs tangled with his and your head was resting on his shoulder. He pressed his lips to your temple and you let out a long sigh. 

“How would you feel if I gave up my apartment?” you asked.

“Why would you do that?” he asked.

“I never spend any time there. It seems silly to be giving them rent when I’m not using it. I’m always here anyway.”

“Are you asking to live with me?” he asked.

“I suppose I am,” you said.

“And here I thought you already did” he said.

“I think I’ve changed my mind,” you said, struggling to get up.

His arms tightened around you, not letting you leave the comfort of his hug. You struggled for a little longer before settling against him again. You could feel him smiling against the top of your head. You would have left him there if you thought you could get away with it. 

He picked his book up again, reading out loud to you. You settled against him more comfortably, listening to his calming voice. You closed your eyes, letting yourself relax for the first time all day. His voice was soft, flowing like a stream over smooth stones. 

“Don’t fall asleep,” he warned.

You murmured something, burying yourself further in his arms. He sighed and continued reading, lulling you into a false sense of security. You could feel sleep on the periphery, so close, just out of reach.

You were pushed off the couch.

You landed with a thump on the carpet, your eyes snapping open. You looked up at the smirking Loki and felt indignation in every bone of your body. You stood up, gave him a withering glare, and walked off. You ignored him as you walked to the small kitchenette he had, rummaging through his cupboards for something edible.

You ignored him as he slunk up behind you. He placed his hands on your hips, his breath ghosting over your ear. You ignored the goosebumps left in its wake. 

“I did warn you.”

You pushed his hands from you, snatching up your mug from where you’d left it on the floor, and made for the lift. He followed behind.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

“I want pizza,” you said, “and Tony threatened to lock me out of the lab if I keep stealing his mugs.”

“You are not going back to that pack of imbeciles, are you?” he asked.

“I suppose I am,” you replied, “they’re at least nice to me.”

“But they can’t do this.”

He pinned you to the wall, his lips sucking on the soft skin of your neck. You dropped the mug, sending it shattering over the floor. Your fingers were digging into his back as he ran his teeth over your sensitive skin. You let out a breathy moan.

“You know, I think they’re perfectly capable of doing that,” you said once he’d stepped back.

“Not if they want to leave with their lives,” he replied, his face turning dark.

“You promised no more murder,” you reminded him, crouching to collect the pieces of the the shattered mug.

You held them out to him and with a roll of his eyes he repaired it. You gave him a smile.

“Do you want pizza?” you asked.

“Why must you go down there to get pizza?” he asked.

“The delivery guy can’t fly.”

He huffed but he followed you into the lift. By the time you were in the public kitchen you were on the phone to your favourite delivery place, putting in your order. You repeated the shouted requests from the rest of the team once they realised what you were doing. You shoved the mug into the soapy water Sam was standing in front of, flashing him a quick smile, ignoring his glower. You patted Loki on the shoulder and sat in the only free armchair, finishing your phone call.

“Cough up,” you said to everyone, “I’m not made of money.”

You were passed some crumpled up notes, doing your best to smooth them out. Loki perched on the arm of your chair, taking the money from you. You placed your hand on his knee, your thumb drawing lazy circles over the material of his trousers, and turned towards the TV, watching the terrible sitcom that was on.

For the first time in your life you didn’t feel out of place or awkward. You had finally found your tribe.


End file.
